Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Buy Photo

Lansing Fire Department Maintenance Captain Loy Lack pets Joker during a therapy session at Sierra Rose Farms on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, near DeWitt. The horse farm hosted a four-week demonstration program for area first responders to show them how the therapy can be beneficial to those struggling with mental health issues like PTSD. Nick King/Lansing State Journal

Owner Lee Ann Hull works with area first responders during a Healing Hearts with Horses therapy session at Sierra Rose Farms on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, near DeWitt. The horse farm hosted a four-week demonstration program for area first responders to show them how the therapy can be beneficial to those struggling with mental health issues like PTSD. Nick King/Lansing State Journal

Lansing Fire Department Maintenance Captain Loy Lack, left, talks with owner Lee Ann Hull, center, during a Healing Hearts with Horses therapy session at Sierra Rose Farms on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, near DeWitt. At right, Hull's partner Diane Galbavi looks on. The horse farm hosted a four-week demonstration program for area first responders to show them how the therapy can be beneficial to those struggling with mental health issues like PTSD. Nick King/Lansing State Journal

Area first responders walk Kiara around an obstacle course during a therapy session at Sierra Rose Farms on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, near DeWitt. The group had to silently guide the horse through the course making sure the horse didn't step on bucket lids that were printed with words describing sources of stress. Nick King/Lansing State Journal

Owner Lee Ann Hull smiles while working with area first responders during a Healing Hearts with Horses therapy session at Sierra Rose Farms on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, near DeWitt. The horse farm hosted a four-week demonstration program for area first responders to show them how the therapy can be beneficial to those struggling with mental health issues like PTSD. Nick King/Lansing State Journal

Lansing Township Fire Department Chief Todd Hendy lifts the leg of a horse during an exercise as part of a Healing Hearts with Horses therapy session at Sierra Rose Farms on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, near DeWitt. The horse farm hosted a four-week demonstration program for area first responders to show them how the therapy can be beneficial to those struggling with mental health issues like PTSD. Nick King/Lansing State Journal

From left, Lansing Fire Department Maintenance Captain Loy Lack, Northeast Ingham Emergency Service Authority Chief Michael Yanz, and Delhi Charter Township Fire Department Assistant Chief Brad Drury lead Kiara around an obstacle course during a therapy session at Sierra Rose Farms on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, near DeWitt. The group had to silently guide the horse through the course making sure the animal didn't step on bucket lids that were printed with words describing sources of stress. Nick King/Lansing State Journal

Sierra, left, and Styx, are used to facilitate therapy sessions as part of the Healing Hearts with Horses program at Sierra Rose Farms on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, near DeWitt. Nick King/Lansing State Journal

Northeast Ingham Emergency Service Authority Chief Michael Yanz, left, and Lansing Township Fire Department Chief Todd Hendy work with Sierra during a Healing Hearts with Horses therapy session at Sierra Rose Farms on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, near DeWitt. The horse farm hosted a four-week demonstration program for area first responders to show them how the therapy can be beneficial to those struggling with mental health issues like PTSD. Nick King/Lansing State Journal

Sierra Rose Farms near DeWitt, pictured on on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, hosted a four-week demonstration program for area first responders to show them how horse-assisted therapy can be beneficial to those struggling with mental health issues like PTSD. Nick King/Lansing State Journal

Horses are helping veterans, military personnel and first responders deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other mental health issues.

And now, they're showcasing that program for police and fire chiefs.

Lee Ann Hull, who owns the farm and also serves as executive director of its Healing Hearts with Horses program, said she and others at the farm are going through a four-week demo with area police and fire chiefs.

"We’re showing all the police and fire chiefs of the area what the program looks like," she said. "And they’re loving it."

Hull said the horses help guide the program because she can read them and the way they're responding to people.

Then, instead of addressing stigma, Hull and her staff use the horses to help people come to their own way of getting through a crisis, she said.

For many people, that's "more profound" than therapy by itself, Hull said.

"We help them move forward in a positive way," Hull said. "It’s not just ‘do as I say.’ It’s actually, ‘do what you’re physically learning.'"

First responders are on the front line when tragedy strikes a community, and they often must make stressful calls that can affect people's lives. Studies have shown they often don't have enough time to recover between events, leading to stress disorders and other serious mental health issues.

Healing Hearts with Horses has been operating at Sierra Rose for 11 years, Hull said. It started offering services to veterans and military personnel three years ago and started expanding that to first responders last year.

Those programs are free, Hull said. The farm covers any costs from fundraisers, she said.